The Voice of Self-Doubt

“I have no idea what I’m doing.”

That’s the sentence that runs through my head more often than I’d like to admit.

I’m not really a writer, or a content creator. I’m just someone trying to discover herself by trying something new.

Most days, I’m doubtful but I decided to take action instead of freezing in place.

Where It Comes From

Who doesn’t have self-doubt?

I sometimes wonder if we lived in a world without criticism, would we still doubt ourselves as much? Probably not.

But we don’t. We live in a world that teaches us to second-guess everything. The older we get, the louder that inner voice becomes.

As kids, we feel invincible. We dive into things without hesitation. But as the years pass and as we absorb criticism from every angle, we start to hesitate. We replay mistakes, remember the comments that stung, and before we know it, doubt starts dictating what we do.

The Things We Don’t Start

Self-doubt is sneaky. It convinces you to wait for the perfect time, the moment when you’ll finally feel ready.

Except that moment never comes.

When I wanted to start this newsletter, I went through that same cycle.

I’d write something but then overthink it:

Is it okay to say this? What will people think? Do I sound lame? Who’s even going to care?

From the outside, it might seem like I’ve always been confident enough to post online. But the truth is, I’ve hesitated with every single post. I’ve wasted so much time waiting to feel ready, waiting for certainty that never arrives.

Pushing Through

One day, I realized that self-doubt wasn’t going anywhere and neither was I, unless I moved through it.

So I hit post.

I still felt doubt. I still do. But I learned something important:

You can doubt yourself and still do the thing anyway.

Courage doesn’t mean the absence of fear, it’s the decision to act despite it.

The only thing that’s kept me going since then is accountability. Knowing I made a public commitment helps me keep showing up. And the truth is, there are still many days I think about stopping.

The Next Challenge

Now, I’m training for my first marathon, a 42 km race that already terrifies me.

It requires months of discipline, and yes, my self-doubt followed me into training.

What if I can’t do it? What if I fail publicly?

But I decided to treat it the same way I treat this newsletter, by committing out loud. Sharing my journey is my form of accountability. As much as it scares me, it’s also what keeps me going.

On the Other Side of Doubt

I’ve learned that courage doesn’t show up when doubt disappears, it shows up alongside it.

You can be scared, uncertain, self-critical, and still choose to act.

Because that’s all we really need, to be courageous despite the doubt.

So if you’re sitting on an idea, a dream, or a version of yourself you keep postponing—start.

Not when you feel ready.

Start while you’re still scared.

Because on the other side of self-doubt, there’s courage waiting for you.